Two speed drive



Jan. 20, 1959 Filed Dec.

"Hun

J. BOCHAN 2,869,699

TWO SPEED DRIVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.I

INVENTOR.

J'OHN BOCHAN HIS ATTORNEY Jan. 20, 1959 J. BOCHAN 9 2,869,699

I TWO SPEED DRIVE 9 Filed Dec. 12, 1956 ZSheets-Sheet 2 FIGZ a'*wlllllllllll "III,"

INVENTOR. JOHN soc HAN HIS ATTORNEY TWO SPEED DRIVE John Bochan,Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation ofNew York Application December 12, 1956, Serial No. 627,817

8 Claims. (Cl. 192-48) My invention relates to drive mechanisms and moreparticularly to two speed drive mechanisms of the type intendedparticularly for use in washing machines.

In order to provide the proper washing and extracting actions for thevarious types of fabrics handled in domestic washing machines, it isdesirable that the machines be capable of two different speeds ofoperation. in particular, in a vertical axis machine it is desirablethat the agitator be moveable at two different speeds and that the washor spin basket be rotatable at two different speeds. The high or normalspeed operation of the agitator provides a strong washing action whereasthe slower speed operation produces a more delicate washing action.Similarly the high speed rotation of the spin basket provides a strongcentrifugal or drying action whereas the slower rotation of the basketprovides a more delicate drying action. These two actions or speeds ofthe agitator and the spin basket are desirable because the same actionsare not suitable for all types of fabrics. For example, the strongwashing and drying actions required to wash and dry a load of heavyfabrics such as cotton materials are likely to cause rapid wearing oreven tearing if applied to a load of delicate synthetic fabrics such asC-rlon, nylon and the like. For such delicate fabrics the gentle actionsprovided by the slow speed agitation and the slow speed spin are muchmore suitable. On the other hand these gentle actions would not producesatisfactory results if applied to the load of heavy fabrics.

My invention is particularly directed to a new and improved drivearrangement for providing this two speed operation in a washing machine;and it has as its general object the provision of a drive arrangementwhich is effective to produce two different washing speeds and twodifferent centrifugal extraction speeds of the machine from a drivemotor having only a single speed.

Another object of rnyinvention is to providea new and improved clutchand governortmechanismfor use in wash- .ing machines, which is effectiveat the selection of the operator to produce two different output speedsfrom a single input speed.

.A further object of my invention is to provide an improved clutch andgovernor mechanism for use in automatic. washing machines of thevertical axis type, which not .only is effective to produce twodifferent speeds of operation of .'the agitator and the spin basketbutalso produces a torque limiting action during the acceleration of thespin basket thus limiting the load on the drive motor.

My invention also has as its object the provision of an improved clutchand governor mechanism whichis effective to produce two different outputspeeds from a single inputspeed solely through themeans of speedresponsive clutch membersv without any gears whatsoever being required.

In carrying out my invention in one form thereof, I provide a washingmachine which includes suitable washing means and a drive motor fordriving the washing means. In order to produce two different speeds ofoperation of the washing means a combination clutch and governormechanism is connected between the washing means and the drive motor.This mechanism includes an input shaft which is driven by the motor andan output member which is arranged for driving the washing means. Theoutput member is driven at its two different speeds by means of arotatable drive member which is rotated by the input shaft. For drivingthe output member at its higher speed the mechanism includes couplingmeans which, when effective, couple the output member continuously tothe drive member whereby the output member is driven at the speed of theinput shaft. The coupling means may, however, be rendered inoperative atthe selection of the operator, and when it is rendered inoperative, theoutput member is then driven at a predetermined reduced speed throughgovernor means included in the mechanism. The governor means comprisesspeed responsive clutch means which normally clutch the output member tothe drive member but which are unable to accelerate the output memberbeyond the predetermined reduced speed. With this acceleration limit thegovernor means is thereby effective to drive the output member at thereduced speed when the drive is through it. Thus depending upon theselection of the operator the mechanism may drive the washing means ateither of two different speeds, the washing means being driven at ahigher speed by the coupling means if the coupling means is released foroperation and being driven at a lower speed by the governor or clutchmeans if the coupling means is rendered inoperative.

The subject matter which I regard as my invention is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of thespecification. My invention, however, both as to organization and methodof operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, maybest be understood by reference to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a clothes washing machine includinga preferred embodiment of my new and improved drive arrangement, theView being partially broken away and partially in section to showdetails;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view showing .the combination clutchand governor mechanism included in the drive arrangement, the mechanismbeing; shown in section to illustrate details;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

v Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to Fig. 1 I have shown therein an agitator type clotheswashing machine 1. The machine 1 ineludes a clothes basket 2 which isdisposed within an outer imperforate tub or casing 3. The tub 3 is inturn mounted within an appearance cabinet 4 which includes a hingedcover (not shown) for providing access to the clothes basket. At thecenter of the basket 2 there is positioned a vertical axis agitator 5which includes a center post 6 and a plurality of radially extendingvanes 7 The agitator is further provided with outwardly and downwardlyflanged skirt 8 to which the vanes 7 arejoined at their lower ends.

Both the clothes basket Zand the agitator 5 are rotatably mounted. Thebasket is mounted on a flange9 of a rotatable hub 10 and the agitator 5is mounted on a shaft (not shown) which extends upwardly through the hub10 and the center post 6. The agitator is secured to the shaft by meansof an internally threaded out or cap 1.11 at the top of the center post.During the cycle of operation of the machine 1, the agitator is firstoscillated back and forth within the basket 2 to wash the clothestherein. Then after a predetermined period of this washing action, thebasket 2,- is rotated at high speed to extract centrifugally the washingliquid and discharge it into the outer tub 3. Following this extractionoperation a supply of clean liquid is introduced into'the wash basketfor rinsing the clothes and the agitator is again oscillated. Finally,the basket is once more rotated at high speed to extract the rinse waterand discharge it into the outer tub.

By my invention a new and improved drive arrangement is provided withinthe machine whereby both the agitator 5 and the clothes basket 2 may bedriven at two different speeds. driven at a higher speed to produce astrong washing action and at a lower speed to produce a more delicatewashing action. Similarly the wash basket 2 may be rotated at a highspeed to produce a strong extraction operation and a somewhat slowerspeed to produce a more delicate extraction operation. As is pointed outhereinafter the operator may select whichever of these actions, strongor delicate, is suitable for the type of clothes she is washing.

In this drive arrangement the basket 2 and the agitator S are drivenfrom a reversible motor 12. The motor 12 is provided with only a singleset of run windings and always rotates at the same speed when energized,but the polarity of its starting winding may be reversed so as to causethe direction of rotation of the motor to reverse. In order to obtaintwo different speeds of operation for the agitator 5 and the basket 2,there is connected to the drive motor a combination clutch and governormechanism 13. The mechanism 13 includes an output pulley 14 anddepending upon the selection of the operator, the

mechanism is effective to drive the pulley 14 at either the speed of themotor 12 or at a predetermined lower speed. In other words the mechanismis effective to provide a direct drive between the motor 12 and theoutput pulley 14 or alternately is effective to produce a reduced speeddrive of the pulley 14. The consturction and arrangement of themechanism 13 to produce this action form an important aspect of myinvention and are described hereinafter in detail.

The output pulley 14 of the two speed combination clutch and governor 13is connected by means of a belt 15 to the input pulley 16 of atransmission assembly 17. The transmission 17 is so arranged that itsupports and drives both the agitator drive shaft and the basketmounting hub 10. When the pulley 16 is driven in one direction by theoutput pulley 14 of the mechanism 13, the transmission causes theagitator 5 to oscillate within the hasket 2. Conversely when the pulley16 is driven in the opposite direction, the transmission drives the washbasket 2 and the agitator 5 together at a high speed for centrifugalextraction. Thus, the operation carried out, i. e., agitation orcentrifugal extraction, is controlled by the direction of rotation ofthe drive motor, agitation occurring when the motor turns in onedirection and cen-. trifugal extraction occurring when'it turns in theother direction. Whether the agitation and centrifugal extraction willbe low speed or high speed depends upon the action of the mechanism 13.If the mechanism 13 provides a direct drive between the motor and pulley14, high speed agitation and centrifugal extraction are effected, but ifthe mechanism provides a reduced speed drive, a lower speed agitationand centrifugal extraction are effected. The mechanism 13 incidentallyis unaffected by the direction in which the drive motor is turning; itproduces the same action no matter in which direction the drive motor isrotating.

With regard to the transmission assembly 17, it will be understood thatthis assembly forms no part of the present invention, and that anysuitable transmission assembly may be used. However, reference is madeto the copending application of James R. Hubbard et al. S. N. 420,594,filed April 2, 1954, and assigned to the same assignee as the presentinvention. That application discloses in detail the structuralcharacteristics of a transmission assembly suitable for use in theillustrated machine.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 3, and 4 I have shown therein Specifically,the agitator 5 may be the construction and arrangement of the two speedclutch and governor mechanism 13. The mechanism 13 as shown in Fig. 2 ismounted on the output shaft 18 of the drive motor 12 and it is drivendirectly by that shaft. In order to take off the motion of the driveshaft 18 for transmission to the output pulley 14, either directly or ata reduced speed, the mechanism includes a clutch carrier plate or member19 which is attached to the drive shaft 18' for rotation therewith. Thecarrier plate 19, which comprises a generally horizontally extendingoblong member, may be secured to the shaft 18 in any suitable manner butis shown in Fig. 2 as being secured to the shaft by means of a clamp 20.Specifically the carrier plate 19 is provided with an upwardly extendinghub 21 and the clamp 20 clamps this hub 21 securely to the shaft 18.

The carrier plate 19 has mounted on it a pair of speed. responsive orcentrifugally operated clutch shoes 22 and 23 which are adapted toclutch the carrier plate 19 to an intermediate, independently rotatable,drum member 24 which is journaled on the shaft 18. This drum member 24comprises an intermediate drive member of the mech anism 13 and, as isexplained hereinafter, it is effective to drive the output member of themechanism at two different speeds depending upon which of twoalternately operable drive means is employed between them. Asshown inFig. 3 the clutch shoes 22 and 23 for driving the drum 24 are mountedrespectively on the carrier plate 19 by means of mounting pins 25 and26, and they are: biased inwardly toward each other by means of a pairof tension springs 27 and 28 connected between them. Specifically, thetension springs 27 and 23 hold the shoes 22 and 23 in their illustratedposition when the plate 19 is stationary so that the friction pads 29and 30 provided on their outer surfaces do not engage the drum 24. Inother words when the input shaft 18 is not rotating, the springs 27 and28 prevent the clutch shoes 22 and 23 from clutching the input shaft tothe drum 24. It will be noted incidentally that the clutch shoes 22 and23 are positively held on their respective pivot pins 25 and 26 by meansof a retainer member 31 which is mounted on the shaft 18 and whichincludes forked end portions fitted around the pivot pins and over theclutch shoes.

When the carrier plate 19 is rotated by the shaft 18, at that time theclutch shoes 22 and 23 tend to pivot outwardly on the pins 25 and 26 dueto the centrifugal force created by their rotation. This tendency of theshoes to pivot outward is restrained by the springs 27 and 28 until suchtime as the centrifugal force becomes greater than the holding force ofthe springs. Then, however, the clutch shoes do pivot outwardly so thattheir friction surfaces 29 and 30 engage the drum 24. The drum 24 asshown in Fig. 2 is journaled on the shaft 18 by means of a ball bearingmount 31a and thus when it is engaged by the shoes 23 and 24, it beginsto rotate with them and the carrier plate 19. If the load driven fromthe drum 24 is relatively light, as when the agitator 5 is being driven,then the shoes 22 and 23 will lock together the plate 19 and the drum 24substantially immediately. If however, the load to be driven is arelatively heavy one, as when the spin basket 2 is to be acceleratedfrom a dead stop with a full load of water, then slippage will occurbetween the clutch shoes and the drum. In other words the drum 24 willnot be immediately rotated at the speed of the shaft 18 but rather willgradually pick up speed. This gradual acceleration provided by theslippage between the clutch shoes and the drum 24 limits the torquerequired from the motor and thereby prevents the motor from beingoverloaded as it accelerates the spin basket.

Positioned around the intermediate drive drum 24 is a second cup shapeddrum 32 which comprises the output member of the mechanism 13. Theoutput drum 32 includes the output pulley 14 as an integral part thereofand it is journaled on the shaft 18 by means of a ball bearing mount 33.The output drum 32 thus canrotate duced speed" as well as at shaftvspeed. As will now be explained, the out-put. drum .352 is driven fromthe intermediate drum 24 and the manner of the drive meansemployedbetween the two drums. determines whether the drum 32 is drivenat input shaft speed or at a reduced speed.

In order to drive the drum 32 at shaft speed there is provided withinthe mechanism 13 a coupling means whichis effective when operative, tocouple the two drums 24' and 32 continuously together. This couplingmeans comprises a carrier plate 34 which is journaledon the shaft 18-bymeans of a ball bearing mount 35,. and a plurality of speed responsiveor centrifugally operatedclutch shoes which are pivotally mounted on theplate 34. The carrier plate 34 being journaled on the shaft 13 moverelative to the shaft and in fact may be held stationary as, it rotates,but normally due to friction in the bearing 35 itrotates with the shaft18. This rotation, as will now be explained, results in the clutch meansmounted on the carrier plate coupling together the intermediate drum 24and theoutput drum 32 so that the drum 32 is driven at shaft speed.

To explain this action in detail it will be seen by reference to Fig. 4that the clutch means mounted, on the carrier plate-34 comprise. fourdifferent shoes 36, 37, 38, and 39, these shoes being pivotedrespectively on the plate 34 by mounting pins 40, 41, 42 and 43 attachedto the plate. The clutches 36 and 37 are curved members including clutchsurfaces 44 and 45 disposed on the opposite sides of their respectivepivots from the heavier portions-or weights 46 and. 47 of the shoes. Thefriction surfaces 44 and 45 as shown are arranged to engage the outersurface of the intermediate drum 24 and upon rotation of the carrierplate 34 that engagement takes place. The weights 46 and 47 of the shoes36 and 37 being thrown outwardly by the centrifugal force created by therotation of carrier plate 34 cause the entire shoes' 36 and 37 to pivotaround their respective mounting pins so that the friction surfaces 44and 45 engage the intermediate drum 24. This of course has the result ofproviding a positive drive between the drum 24 and the plate 34 so thatthe plate is positively driven at shaft speed. The friction surfaces ofshoes-36 and 37 however engage the drum 24 only whenthe carrier plate 34is initially rotated due to the friction of the bearing 35. When thecarrier plate 34 is held stationary, the shoes 36 and 37 are then heldin their normal position out of engagement with the drum 24 by means ofthe tension springs 48 and 49 which are connected respectively betweenthe shoes 37 and 38 and the shoes 36 and39.

The other two clutch shoes 38 and 39 on the carrier plate 34 are adaptedto provide a positive connection between the carrier plate 34 and theoutput drum 32 upon the rotation of the carrier plate by the shoes 36and 37. Specifically the shoes 38-and 39 are provided with frictionpads, 51 and Site on. their outer surfaces and upon therotation of thecarrier plate 34 the shoes are pivoted by centrifugal force so as tobring these friction pads into engagement with the inner surface of thedrum 32. This, of course, firmly locksthe-output drum 32 to the carrierplate 34, and since the carrier plate is in turn locked to theintermediate drum 24 through the shoes 36 and 37, it has the resultthat. the output drum. is driven at shaft speed. It will benoted,however, that just as the clutch shoes 36 and 37 are normally maintainedout of engage ment with the drum 24 by the springs 43 and 49 when thecarrier-plate 34. is stationary, so-thewsprings and 49 are alsoeffective to maintainthe clutch shoes 33 and 39 normally outofengagetnent with the output drum 32. In other words only whenthe drum24 rotates thecarrier plate 34 through. the, clutch shoes 36 and 37 arethe clutch shoes 38 and 39 pivoted to engagethe output drum. When.thei'carrierplate; is stationary, the shoes 38 and 39' dou'ot Contactthe output drum 32 and it therebymay rotate freely with respect to thecarrier plate. Itv will be noted that suitable upstanding lugs 51 areprovided on the carrier plate 34 to limit the movement of all of theshoes 36, 37, 38 and 39 under the force of. the springs 48 and 49 whenthe carrier. plate is stationary. These lugs specifically prevent theshoes from rubbing against the inner drum 24 when the carrier plate isstationary.

In summary with regard to: the direct: drive through the mechanism 13whereby the output pulley 14 is driven at the same speedas the inputshaft 18, it will be seen that the shaft 18 drives the clutch carrier 19directly. The rotation of the carrier plate 19 is transmitted to theintermediate drum 24 by means of the centrifugally operated clutch.shoes 22 and 23=mounted on the plate 19, and the movement of theintermediate drum 24 is in turn transmitted to the output drum 32 bymeans of the. centrifugal clutch means. mounted on the. lower carrierplate 34. As pointed out above the carrier plate 34, unless restrainedby control means, normally tends to rotate with the shaft 18 due tobearing friction in the bearing 35, and upon this rotation'the. speedresponsive clutch shoes 36, 37, 38 and 39 mounted on the plate. 34 actto clutch the output drum 32 to theintermediate drum 24. Specificallythe shoes 36 and 37 clutch, the intermediate drum 24 to they carrierplate 34 and the shoes 33 and 39 clutch the carrier plate 34 to theoutput drum 32. Thus, the intermediate drum 24, the carrier plate 34 andthe output drum 32 all rotate-as a unit and at shaft speed, so that adirect continuous drive is provided between the input shaft and theoutput drum causing theoutput drum and pulley to rotate at input shaftspeed. This rotation of the output pulley 14 is, of course, transmittedto the transmission 17 to provide the normal or high speed drive forthe. agitator 5 and thespin basket 2.

In order to provide a. reduced speeddrive forthe output pulley 14 andthereby for the agitator 5 and the spin basket 2, the combinationclutchand. governor 13 includes governor means wherebythe output drum32'may be driven from the intermediate drum 24 at a reduced speedinstead ofbeing driven at input shaftspeed by the clutches mounted onthe carrier 34. Specifically this governor means, whereby a reducedspeed operation is provided, comprises a pair of speed responsive orcentrifugally operated clutch shoes 52 and 53 which are carried by theoutput drum 32. The clutch shoes 52 and 53 comprise curved members whichare positioned between the drum 32 and the intermediate drum 24 and theyinclude respectively outwardly extending tabs'54 and 55 which fit intoslots 56 and 57 in. the wall of the outer drum. The engagement betweenthe tabs 54 and 55 and their respective slots serve not only to mountthe shoes 52 and 53 on the output drum but also provide a positivedriving connection whereby the shoes may drive the outer drum. The fitbetween the tabs and the mounting slots se and 57 is, however, looseenough that the shoes 52 and 53 may slide inwardly or outwardly withregard to the outer drum. It will be noted that the two shoes eachinclude a friction surface on their inner sides, the shoe 52 having afriction surface 58 and the shoe 53 having a friction surface 59, andthatthe shoes are normally biased by means of tension springs 60 and 61connected between them so that these friction surfaces engage theintermediate drum 24. In other. words Whenthe inner drum 24 is at rest,it is contacted by the clutch shoes 52 and 5'3 so that as the inner drumbegins to pick up speed, the outer drum 32 is driven from it through theclutch shoes 32 and 53.

As the output drum 32 accelerates, the centrifugal force created by itsrotation begins to reduce the pressure with which the clutch shoes 52and 53 engage the inner drum 24. The higher the speed of the output drumbecomes, the smaller is the pressure between the clutch shoes andthe.inner drum, and the smaller is the torque which they can transmitto theouter drum. The shoes, in fact, begin to slip with regard to inner drum.Whep remain inoperative.

7 a certain speed of the output drum is reached, the slippage betweenthe shoes 52 and 53 and the inner drum 24 becomes such that the shoesare ineltective to increase the speed of the output drum 32 and itsconnected load any further. In other words they can supply the torquenecessary to keep the output drum rotating at the same speed but theycannot supply any additional torque to increase the speed of the outputdrum any further. The output drum and its load thus stop acceleratingand begin to rotate steadily at that particular speed. This point wherethe clutch shoes 52 and 53 slip sufficiently with regard theintermediate drum 24 so that they stop accelerating the'output drum 32occurs at a speed well below the input shaft speed, 'and specificallyoccurs at the predetermined reduced speed of the output drum 32 which itis desired to transmit to the pulley l4 tor the delicate operations ofthe agitator and the basket 2. The speed of the output drum at which theshoes 52 and 53 so slip relative to the input drum may be controlled byproper selection of the springs 60 and 61 as compared with the weight ofthe clutch shoes. For example, in one embodiment of my two speed clutchand governor mechanism adapted for use in a washing machine having a1750 R. P. M. drive motor, the shoes 52 and 53 stop accelerating theoutput drum 32 and begin to drive it at a steady speed when output drumreaches a speed of approximately 910 R. P. M. Thus a reduced speed driveof about 52% of the speed of the normal or high speed drive is provided.

During the direct or high speed drive of the output drum 32 through theclutches mounted on the carrier plate 34, the governor shoes 52 and 53simply disengage from the intermediate drum 24 so that there is no drivethrough them. Thus in order for the governor shoes 52 and 53 to act asthe driving means for the output drum 32, some means must be providedfor rendering the direct coupling means inoperative i. e., for renderinginoperative the plate 34 and the clutches mounted thereon. In theillustrated embodiment this means for rendering the direct couplingmeans inoperative comprises a pivoted latch member 62 which is mountedon a stationary frame member of the machine 1 by means of a bracket 63.The latch member 62 is adapted to engage the peripheral flange 64 of thecarrier plate 34 but is normally held out of engagement with the carrierplate by means of a biasing spring 65'. So long as the latch 62 is heldout of engagement with it,

'the carrier plate 34 will initially rotate due to hearing friction inthe bearing 35 and the continuous, direct coupling will be providedbetween the intermediate drum 24 and the output drum 32 as describedabove. But when the latch 62 engages the flange 64 of the carrier plate,the carrier plate is held stationary and the direct coupling means arerendered inoperative so that the drive of the output drum is through thegovernor means.

In order to move the latch 62 into engagement with the carrier plate 34there is provided a solenoid 66 whose armature 67 operates the latchthrough a spring 68 and a connecting arm 69. When the solenoid 66 is inits deenergized position illustrated in Fig. 2, the latch due to thetension of the spring 65 is held in its disengaged position. However,when the solenoid is energized, at that time the armature 67 is pulleddownwardly causing pivoting of the arm 69 and the latch 62 so that thelatch engages the flange 64 of the carrier plate 34. This engagement ofthe latch with the carrier plate holds the carrier plate stationary. Inother words it locks the carrier plate Soth'at it will not rotate due tobearing friction when the motor shaft 18 begins to rotate.

With the latch 62 holding the carrier plate 34 stationary, the couplingmeans mounted on the carrier plate In other words the clutch shoes 36,37, 38 and 39' remain in their normal positions illus trated in Fig. 4wherein they engage neither the output drum 32 nor the intermediate drum24. Thus no drive can be provided through them, and the drive of theoutput drum must be through the shoes 52 and 53 mounted on it. The shoes52 and 53, as pointed out above, provide a governing action when thedrive is through them so that the output drum is driven at apredetermined speed lower than the input shaft speed. The shoes 52 and53, of course, normally engage the intermediate drum 24 under thepressure of the spring and 61 to drive the output drum 32. But as theshoes accelerate the output drum, the centrifugal force created by theirrotation progressively reduces the pressure with which they contact theintermediate drum 24. Specifically, 'as the speed of the output drumbecomes greater and greater, the pressure between the shoes 52 and 53and the input drum 24 becomes less and less until the shoes actuallybegin to slip with regard to the drum 24. As the contact pressuredecreases and the shoes begin to slip, the amount of torque which theshoes can transmit to the output drum 32 also decreases. The greater thespeed of the output drum 32 becomes, the less is the torque which theclutch shoes 52 and 53 can transmit to it. Thus a point or speed of theoutput drum is ultimately reached at which the torque transmitted by theshoes 52 and 53 is equal to the torque needed to drive the drum at thatspeed with no additional torque being available to accelerate the outputdrum any further. In other words the shoes are transmitting enoughtorque to maintain the output drum at that particular speed but cannottransmit any additional increment of torque to increase its speed. Theshoes thus act as speed governing means whereby the output drum and itsconnected load are driven at this speed in a steady state condition. Thespeed at which this speed limiting or governing action of the shoes 52and 53 occurs, is well below the input shaft speed so that the result isthat a reduced speed operation of the output pulley and its connectedload is produced.

Summing up with regard to the reduced speed operation of the clutch, itwill be seen that in order for this drive to be effected the solenoid 66must be energized so as to lock the carrier plate 34. With the carrierplate 34 held stationary the coupling means or centrifugal clutchesmounted thereon are inefiective to provide a continuous direct drivebetween the inner drum 24 and the output-drum 32. Thus the drive insteadof being through the carrier plate 34, occurs through the governor shoes52; and 53 mounted on the output drum. These shoes in the manner pointedout above provide a governing action causing the output drum to bedriven at the desired reduced speed. This reduced speed drive of theoutput drum is, of course, transmitted to the transmission 17 to producethe low speed action of the agitator 5 and the spin basket 2. Withregard to the electrical control circuit for controlling the solenoid 66it will be understood that any suitable circuit may be used since thecircuit forms no part of the present invention. One particularlysuitable control circuit is, however, described and claimed in theco-pending application of Wallace H. Henshaw, Jr., S. N. 627,821 filedconcurrently herewith and assigned to the same assignee as the presentinvention.

It will be noted incidentally that since the drive is through carrierplate 19 and drum 24 during the reduced speed drive as well as duringthe direct drive, that the clutch means 22 and 23 mounted on the carrierplate 19 Y are effectve to provide a motor protective, torque limitingaction during the reduced speed operation just as in the high speedoperation. When the spin basket is accelerated for a reduced speed spinoperation, just as when accelerated for a high speed spin operation,slippage will occur between the clutch shoes 22 and 23. and theintermediate drurn 24 so as to limit the torque required from the motor.In other words, it will prevent an overload from being applied to themotor.

In summation with regard to the mechanism 13as a whole it will thus beseen that it includes coupling means whereby a continuous direct drivemay be provided be tween the input shaft 13 and the output member 32,and it further includes governing means whereby a reduced speed drivemay be provided between the input shaft and the output member. If thesolenoid 66 is de-energized' so that the carrier plate 34 is not heldstationary, in that case the direct coupling means are operative so thatthe output drum is driven directly from the input shaft at shaft speed.On the other hand if the solenoid 66 is energized so as to latch thecarrier plate 34 in place, in that case the drive is through thegoverning means so that a reduced speed operation is obtained. Duringboth the reduced speed operation and the high speed operation the torquelimiting means included within the clutch are effective so that themotor cannot be overloaded. Also, it will be particularly noted thatboth the high speed drive and the reduced speed drive are providedwithout the use of any gears whatsoever. Rather both drives are providedsolely through themeans of speed responsive or cent'rifugally operatedclutch members.

As pointed out above, the operation of the mechanism 13 is unafl'ect'edby the direction in which the input shaft 18 is turning. In whicheverdirection the shaft is turning, the operation of the speed responsiveclutch shoes is the same so that the same mechanical connections areprovided through the mechanism.

Besides driving the two-speed combination clutch and governor mechanism13, the drive motor 12 also serves to drive a pump 70 which is securedto the bottom wall of the tub 3 of the washing machine (see Fig. l).Specifi- 'cally the motor shaft 18 extends upwardly through the clutch13 and is connected to the input shaft 71 of the pump by means of aflexible coupling 72. With this direct coupling between the motor andthe pump 70, the pump is, of course, driven whenever the motor is inoperation. The pump 70 during its operation withdraws liquid from thetub 3 through a suitable strainer assembly 73 mounted over its inlet.

In the illustrated embodiment the pump 70 is a bidirectional pump whichdischarges into one of two outlets depending upon the direct-ion of pumprotation. A bidirectional pump of this sort is described in detail andclaimed in my copending application S. N. 468,460, filed November 12,1954, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. In themachine 1 one of the two outlets of the pump 7G is connected to arecirculation hose or conduit 74 for returning the liquid withdrawn fromthe tub to the basket 2; and the other of the outlets of the pump isconnected to a drain hose 75 which is adapted to be connected ordisposed for discharging the liquid to a stationary tub or drain line.During the direction of the motor rotation corresponding to the drivingof the agitator 5, the pump output is discharged through the one outletto the conduit 74 for return to the basket 2 through a filter 75 mountedon the agitator post. Conversely, upon rotation of the motor in thereverse direction for spinning the basket 2, the liquid is pumpedthrough the other outlet to the conduit 75 and the drain. Thus, duringthe agitation the pump 7% causes a continu ous overflowing of the basket2 so that a continuous recir culation and filtering action is provided,whereas during spin or centrifugal extraction the pump empties themachine to the drain line.

Since the pump 74) is driven directly from the motor 12 rather thanthrough the output pulley 14 of the mechanism 13, it will be seen thatthe pum 70 is driven at the same speed no matter whether the agitatorand the wash basket 2 are operating at normal speed or at reduced speed.The operation of the pump is thus completely unafiected by the speed atwhich the agitator and the spin basket are driven. At high speed or atreduced speed of these components the pump operates with equaleffectiveness at motor speed. It would, of course, be very undesirablefor the speed of the pump to be changed with the speed at the agitatorand. the spin basket since the pump obvious- 10 ly could not operatewith good efficiency at both a high speed and a low speed.

While in accordance with the patent statutes I have described what atpresent is considered to be the preferred embodiment of my invention itwill be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications may be made therein without departing from the invention,and I, therefore, aim in the appended claims to cover all such changesand modifications as fall Within the true spirit and scope of theinvention.

What I claim as new and desire to Patent of the United States is:

1. A two-speed clutch and governor mechanism cornprising an input shaft,an output member, an intermediate rotatable drive member, means forclutching said input shaft to said intermediate member upon the rotationof said shaft, coupiing means for selectively coupling said outputmember to said intermediate member thereby to drive said output memberat the speed of said input shaft, means for rendering said couplingmeans inoperative, and governor means for driving said output member ata predetermined reduced speed lower than input shaft speed when saidcoupling means are rendered inoperative, s'id governor means comprisingspeed responsive clutch means normally clutching said output member tosaid intermediate member but ineffective to accelerate said out putmember above said predetermined reduced speed,

secure by Letters whereby said governor means prevent said output memberfrom being driven above said predetermined. reduced speed when saidcoupling means are inoperative.

2. A two-speed clutch and governor mechanism comprising an input shaft,an output member, direct drive means" including a plurality ofcentrifugally operated "clutches for connecting said output memberdirect y to said input shaft thereby to drive said output rrember at -afirst speed, control means for selectively rendering said direct drivemeans inoperative, and governor means for driving said output memberfrom said input shaft at a predetermined reduced speed lower than saidfirst speed when said direct drive means are rendered inoperative, saidgovernor means including speed responsive clutch means eifective toaccelerate said output mem er until said output member reaches saidreduced s eed and inelfective to accelerate said output member a ovesaid reduced speed whereby said output member is driven at said reducedspeed by said clutch means.

3. A two-speed combination clutch and governor mechanism comprising aninput shaft. an output drum. an intermediate'rotatable drum.centrifugally operated clutch means for clutching said in ermedia e drumto said input shaft upon the rotation of said sh ft, coupling meansincluding a p urality of 'centrifugally opera ed clutches forselectively clutching said output: drum to said intermediate drumthereby to drive out ut drum at the speed of said input shaft. controlmeans for renderin said coupling means inoperative, and governor me ns fr driving said output drum at a predetermined reduced s eed lower thanthe inout shaft speed when said coupling means are rendered inoperative.sa d governor means c mprising centrifugally operated clutch means normalv clutching said output drum to said intermediate drum but inelfectiveto accelerate said output drum abo e said reduced speed, whereby saidoutput drum is driven at said reduced speed.

4. A two-speed combination clutch and governor mechanism comprising anin ut shaft. an output drum. an intermediate rotatable drum,centrifugally operated clutch means for clutching said intermediate drumto said input shaft upon the rotation of said shaft, coupling means forselectively coupling said output drum to said intermediate drum therebyto drive said outout drum at the speed of said input shaft, saidcoupling means including a clutch carrier rotatablv mounted on saidinput shaft and normally rotating with said shaft, and a plurality ofsaid centrifugally operated clutches mounted on said carrier forclutching said intermediate 'drum to said coupling means inoperative,and speed responsive clutch means mounted on one of said drums fordriving said output drum at a predetermined reduced Speed when saidclutch carrier is held stationary, said speed responsive clutch meansnormally clutching said output drum to said intermediate drum butreducing the clutching pressure as said output drum accelerates, wherebysaid speed responsive clutch means are ineffective to drive said outputdrum above said predetermined reduced speed.

5. A two-speed combination clutch and governor mechanism comprising aninput shaft, an output drum, an intermediate rotatable drum, a firstclutch carrier mounted on said input shaft and secured to said shaft forrotation therewith, a plurality of speed responsive clutch shoes mountedon said first carrier and arranged to engage said intermediate drum forclutching said intermediate drum to said input shaft upon the rotationof said shaft, coupling means for selectively coupling said output drumto said intermediate drum thereby to drive said output drum at the speedof said input shaft, said coupling means comprising a second clutchcarrier journalled on said input shaft and normally rotating with saidshaft, and a plurality of speed responsive clutches mounted on saidsecond clutch carrier arranged to engage both of said drums upon therotation of said second carrier, solenoid operated latch means forselectively holding said second clutch carrier stationary as said inputshaft rotates, and governor means for driving said, output drum at apredetermined reduced speed lower than input shaft speed when saidsecond clutch carrier is held stationary, said governor means comprisingspeed responsive clutch means mounted on said output drum and normallyengaging said intermediate drum, with said speed responsive clutch meansbeing arranged to decrease the clutching pressure as the speed of thesaid output drum increases, whereby said speed responsive clutch meansare ineffective to drive said output drum above said predeterminedreduced speed.

6. A two-speed clutch mechanism including an input shaft, an outputdrum, a second rotatable drum driven from said input shaft at shaftspeed, coupling means for selectively coupling said output drum to saidsecond drum thereby to drive said output drum at the speed of said inputshaft, said coupling means including a clutch carrier rotatably mountedon said input shaft and normally rotating with said shaft and aplurality of centrifugally operated clutches mounted on said carrier forclutching said output drum to said second drum upon the rotation of saidcarrier plate, control means I2 for selectively holding said carrierplate stationary during the rotation of said input shaft thereby torender said coupling means inoperative, and speed responsive clutchmeans mounted on one of said drums for driving said output drum at apredetermined reduced speed when said carrier plate is held stationary,said speed responsive clutchv normally clutching said drums together butreducing the clutching pressure as said output drum accelerates, wherebysaid speed responsive clutch means are ineffective to drive said outputdrum above said predetermined reduced speed.

7. A two-speed clutch mechanism having an input member and an outputmember, said clutch mechanism including coupling means for driving saidoutput member at the speed of said input member and governor means fordriving said output member at a speed lower than the speed of said inputmember, said governor means comprising speed responsive clutch meansnormally connecting said output member to said input member butinefiective to connect said output member to said input member abovesaid lower speed, and control means movable between two positions forcontrolling said clutch mechanism, said control means in one of saidpositions rendering said coupling means ineffective whereby saidgovernor means drives said output member at the lower speed, and in theother of said positions rendering said coupling means operative wherebysaid coupling means drives said output member at the speed of said inputmember.

member above said lower speed, and a solenoid movable between energizedand die-energized positions for controlling said clutch mechanism, saidsolenoid in one of said positions holding said coupling meansinoperative whereby said governor means drives said output member at thelower speed, and in the other of said positions releasing said couplingmeans for operation whereby said coupling means drives said outputmember at the speed of said input member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,870,649 Rawson Aug. 9, 1932 2,000,713 Norris May 7, 1935 2,695,510Clark Nov. 30, 1954 2,699,683 Castner Jan. 18, 1955

